Nedved Unrepentant Over Juve Defection
Thursday 5th July 2001
Pavel Nedved has revealed that he defected to Juventus because he did not feel appreciated by the Lazio management. "With the Juventus team that is being assembled, I think we can win everything, even the Champions' League," he said.
"Lazio didn't want me that much. I didn't feel as important as I should have done there. It has been up to me to choose Juventus, and I have done so because I know that I will be able to win everything in the black-and-white shirt."
A hundred fans were so furious at the move that they threw bottles at Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti's house and daubed graffiti on the walls on Wednesday night.
And Nedved said: "The fans must keep cool, any violence would be unfair to Cragnotti. But I'm asking myself why Lazio behaved as they did. Even though I signed a new contract with Lazio, I then decided to go to Juventus and I don't think Cragnotti can stop me.
"I felt I wasn't important any more because I heard rumours about the buying policy. I met Umberto Agnelli and Marcello Lippi and was pleased simply because I could speak with them.
"What made me decide was Juve's ambition. They never stopped looking for me. My wife does not agree with my decision, she still opposes me and loves Rome. But I woke up and made up my mind. I know that she will follow me in my professional choice," he added.
